When I used to live back home at my parents house I can remember once here and there we would have different types of activists on our doorstep knocking on our door. But even before they got a chance to present what they were fighting for, my parents or whoever opened the door would just say, “No thanks, we are not interested”. What struck me here was that we would say that we weren’t interested, without even knowing what they were fighting for. And what is really interesting in those situations, is that I am sure that we weren’t the only household who did that. Individuals dislike when they are getting disturbed at their homes. That has always been the problem with activist groups; they have never changed their way of doing things, or reaching out to people. It has always been the same deal. Activists need a radical change, and that is now.
Thinking back at these moments I really regret closing the door on these people, I mean all they wanted was to make our society a better place. And we were too busy with God knows what, watching TV or something stupid. Where I am getting with this is that there must be a better way for activists to get connected with society. A new set of tools and innovative approaches that will make the world into a better place.
The popular culture we have in today’s society consists of many different elements; it can be music, comedy, movies, and gaming. In one way or another individuals around the world can relate to this in their own personal way. We as a community need to adapt to the direction the world is going in order to get more people embodied. Embodiment is key for people to get liberated, and later on become healed. The pop culture connects all individuals, and all the elements mentioned above, around the world in one way or another, so if we use those as a tool in our modern societies to create something radical for activism I believe we are on the right track to make the world a better place.
When I talk about pop culture I talk about the entirety of ideas, attitudes, images that are within the mainstream of a given culture. Listening to the “Salvage Expeditions” podcasts really got me thinking. It got me thinking about how pop culture has always been there, and how the answer for some of our problems have been right there in front of us all along. My point is that I believe these different types of popular cultures, presented in the podcasts, can be amazing tools for our world and will make wonders for people who need a new way in order for them to get liberated, and healed. They have already had an impact on people’s lives, and this is before we even knew that they could be used as a tool. For example, in the 50 Shades of Grey podcast, they talked about how sex workers used that movie to change their contracts, and made the contracts more beneficial for themselves. However, imagine the impact they could have if we learn how to use them as a tool for activism, which could result in a new and fun, yet serious ways of embodiment.
The podcast I liked the most was the one about “Minecraft”, I felt like this subject was the most relevant because of the direction our world is going in with technology. For those who don’t know what Minecraft is, it is a video game where you build things and are trying to survive. There are unlimited things that you can create in this magical world. The game is constantly under updates, which works as a teaser for the users, which in turn keeps them entertained. As it is in real life, some ideas are open for discussion meanwhile others aren’t, and the same concept is used in Minecraft: different worlds are opened for the community to change and improve, meanwhile others are looked and are there just to admire and explore. The game allows its users to do whatever they want pretty much, within those perimeters. Another aspect of the games that is quite interesting is the chat box and how users can become someone else than they are normally.
With all that being said, all of the basic fundamentals of the game are set and could be used in real life as a tool for activism. To clarify, as a game needs its users to be a successful game, an activist group needs its followers in order to make a change. Both the gamer and the follower need to be kept interested. A game, for example, tempts with new updates and sort of teases its audience with those upcoming features, meanwhile an activist group could tempt with new events for its followers. Another aspect that is relatable is the “different worlds” in Minecraft that allow users to come up with new ideas to improve the old ones, it is the same thing with the activist groups: they need their followers to embody and engage in order to perfect the original ideas.
This approach for an activist may be the key to reach out to a wider audience and make a difference. I know it already exists a bunch of different climate change games, where you are trying to save the world, and if you lose the world goes under. My point here is that those games are a good base to start from and eventually create something where users need to embody instead of hiding behind their computer screens. We need everyone’s help in this matter. Embodiment is key here, and as soon as we achieve that we will get liberated and eventually healed. So from an activist point of view, you use those tools and innovate them to create a “game” where people embody in the public instead of sitting in their homes. As I have mentioned earlier, art doesn’t have to be something that is hung up on the wall or is placed in a museum. It can be something “simple” as a video game, a stand up show, or just a music track. These new approaches will most likely reach out to more individuals around the world, rather than just an art piece hung up on the wall for only one to see.
//P.B.
artforsocietalchange 